With award-winning games and brainteasers like Tantrix, Cathedral, and Endangered, Montreal’s Family Games Inc. has been encouraging consumers to enjoy “learning through laughter” for 25 years.
The company’s well-known founders, Yvan David and Susan Hebblethwaite, are still at the helm and still working to create and develop titles that are frequently as beautiful as they are fun and thought-provoking.
The couple’s first game — The Adventures of Oliver and Toes — was launched in an effort to bring awareness to the plight of homeless pets and the need for respect for all animals. The game caught the attention of the New York branch of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which encouraged them to develop four more titles with similar themes.
Since then, Family Games Inc. has gone on to design, develop and license some 600 games, toys and puzzles that have been translated into 12 languages and are distributed in 35 countries. The company, which distributes Lagoon Group’s best-selling lineup in the U.S. and Canada, just recently acquired the distributorship for Spain’s Cayro game collection.
Known for intelligent titles promoting social and environmental responsibility, Yvan and Susan also operate their business using the same philosophy. Not only are most of their games made with vegetable-based inks and recycled materials, but packaging — already minimal — doesn’t include plastic inserts or windows. Plus, the couple regularly monitors the company’s oversea production sites to ensure safe and healthy conditions for workers.
Over the past 25 years, Family Games has deservedly won a long list of awards, including a 2003 Outstanding Toy Manufacturer Recognition of Excellence Award from the U.S.’s Dr. Toy, a Mensa Select Top 5 Best Games award for DAO™, and a Canadian Toy Testing Council Best Bet award for Are We There Yet™?. Always a regular exhibitor at the Canadian Toy & Hobby Fair and the American International Toy Fair, Family Games will have many of their award-winners, best-sellers and new titles on display at both 2012 events. Retailers are invited to drop by their Canadian Toy Fair booth 133 or American Toy Fair booth 169 to see show specials and to receive a beautiful, free Cathedral 30th Anniversary bag. For information, visit FG’s website.
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